Pharrell Williams (second from right) and Usher (right) mentored artists Josiah Hawley (far left) and Jeff Lewis. (Trae Patton/NBC)
Shakira and Usher (above) replaced Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green. (Adam Taylor/NBC)
When Mark Burnett replaced two of the judges on “The Voice” this year, it was a calculated risk. Both flamboyant in their own way, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera brought some charisma to those staid judges’ chairs. Usher and Shakira may not have the same sparkle as their predecessors but Burnett knew they would more than fill the bill.
“The real test of a show is when you’re changing out stars,” Burnett says. “Americans love Shakira and Usher. As long as we have kindhearted, professional superstars who care about others and can really play and write music, this young American audience is going to be happy.”
“American Idol” changed out its stars and the show had a ratings meltdown. “The Voice” has not only remained steady but moved well past Fox’s former juggernaut, the all-important 18-to-49 ratings.
Burnett attributes the show’s popularity to its strong social-media presence and reliance on contemporary material. “The current music is very, very important to us. It’s important to be living in the world,” Burnett says. “That is young America.”
With the guidance of senior supervising producer Nicolle Yaron, “The Voice” has established pages on the Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. There are 25 to 30 hours of digital hours of videos on the YouTube channel to enhance what Yaron calls the “digital multiplatform storytelling experience.”
The YouTube videos feature interviews with contestants by singer Christina Millian and clips such as “Usher Talks Coaching and Strategy” and “Team Shakira Sizes Each Other Up” — clips that would distract from the momentum built on the live performances were you to see them on air but ones that offer devotees all the information they could want. Yaron calls these 300 “constantly updating” social platforms a “real-time DVD extra.”
And everyone from the show gets into the act, not only the “coaches,” as Yaron refers to Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Shakira and Usher. Makeup artists and costume designers participate as well and videos show the contestants going to fittings, braiding their hair or applying eye makeup.
“It’s a completely transparent cyclical show,” Yaron says.
Burnett believes that this intensive outreach program is the only way to go. “The audience is very engaged. They don’t need anyone to tell them how to be,” he says. “They’re in the social-media world and you have to fit in to it.”
With “American Idol’s’ season wrapping up, “The Voice,” which has its finale next month, looks to come out on top. “We will be No. 1 for our night and maybe for the week,” Burnett says.
And the talent show, once thought to be on its way out, has gotten a second wind. “The show is living up to expectation.s. Doing better than I thought,” says Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media. “NBC is having a May sweeps that’s much better than its February sweeps because of the show. The new judges are working out while they have played a part in the decline of ‘American Idol.’ I suspect when they announce the fall schedule NBC will run ‘The Voice’ twice a week.”